Indonesia has lost $2.35bn in the past two years due to corruption, the attorney general's office has said.

The figure is derived from known cases investigated by the authorities - 108 cases have been pursued in the first four months of this year alone.

Cases range from misuse of state funds by officials to simple bribery.

Corruption is endemic in Indonesia, but with a presidential election looming, candidates are all promising to tackle the problem.

Former president Suharto, who ruled with an iron fist for more than three decades, has been cited by the watchdog Transparency International as the most corrupt political leader in the world in the past 20 years.

But legal proceedings against him have been suspended indefinitely because his lawyers say he is too ill to stand trial.

Corruption is a prominent issue in the current presidential race.

All the leading candidates have made fighting corruption a central theme of their campaigns.

But none have been clear on how they will solve a problem which threatens to dent Indonesia's chances of becoming a truly democratic and prosperous country.